UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Ecosystem services is the standard term used to describe the diverse benefits humans derive from nature,including provisioning,regulating,cultural and supporting services. The stem lists specific examples like climate regulation and water purification,which fall into these categories. Therefore services is the correct word to complete the phrase ecosystem services. Option D is correct.

Option A:
Stocks refer to quantities of natural capital/resources; they do not directly mean the benefits and functions listed in the stem.

Option B:
Goods usually mean tangible products (timber,fish) and do not fully cover regulating functions like climate regulation and pollination.

Option C:
Flows describe movements of energy/materials; “ecosystem flows” is not the standard umbrella term for human benefits.

Option D:
Services is the accepted term for ecosystem-provided benefits like regulation, purification and pollination,matching the stem.

Statements A, B and D are correct because they describe the standard classification of ecosystem services and give examples of regulating and cultural services. Provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services are recognised in major assessments, and pollination and climate regulation are key regulating services. Recreation and spiritual values are central cultural services. Statement C is incorrect since the concept explicitly links ecosystem functioning to human well-being. Thus, A, B and D together form the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete as it includes only A and B and omits D. Without cultural services, the answer fails to capture the full range of acknowledged ecosystem service categories.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it groups all accurate statements and excludes C, which wrongly claims that human well-being is ignored. This reflects the accepted framework used in environmental economics and ecology.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it accepts C along with B and D. Including C undermines the purpose of the ecosystem services framework, which is precisely to highlight human dependence on ecosystems.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it combines A with C and D and treats C as true. Although A and D are correct, the presence of C makes the overall combination conceptually wrong.